‘Hazardous and unsanitary’: Parents charged after 9-year-old dies in Fort Lawn

FORT LAWN, S.C. — The parents of a 9-year-old who died last month have now been accused of neglecting him and another child.

That boy died in September after deputies were called to his house in Fort Lawn.

South Carolina reporter Tina Terry has been combing through new documents that detail what detectives say happened before that child’s death. Warrants say the child had been ill for at least four days and his parents failed to get him help quickly.

Neighbors say that 9-year-old boy and his 12-year-old sister used to play in their Fort Lawn neighborhood.

“It was heartbreaking news to hear,” one neighbor said.

Deputies were called to the boy’s house on Sept. 20. A report says they found him unresponsive. He died at the hospital.

A warrant says over at least four days, the boy’s “physical condition progressively deteriorated to the point that he became too weak to walk, sit up, and had difficulty talking.” But the boy’s parents “failed to obtain timely medical attention.”

“He should have been sent to the hospital earlier,” another neighbor said.

“Very disturbing. It’s heartbreaking.”

A neighbor who didn’t want to show her face says she and others here don’t understand why this happened.

The warrant says the house “contained hazardous and unsanitary living conditions” and that the boy’s 12-year-old sister “hadn’t attended school since approximately 2020.”

The parents, Katie Hill Hefner and Rick Elliott Adkins, were both arrested and charged with two counts of unlawful conduct toward a child.

“She was kind of underdeveloped. I hope that she’ll get the help she needs and that there’ll be justice if there was something that wasn’t done, and the family just gets peace of mind,” a neighbor said.

Records show both parents are now out of jail on bond. State police told Channel 9 they are still investigating the death of the 9-year-old.

If you are concerned about a child you know is being abused, you can contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 800-422-4453.

©2026 Cox Media Group